Yooper -
I think it is esters. That's the taste, banana-ish, apple-ish. Do you know of a good thread that explains how to fix this?
Thanks,
Rich
Well, the good news is that in a hefeweizen that's a desirable taste. Even in Belgians, fruitiness is desired. Those yeast strains you used should have esters in the finished product. The apple-ish may fade with some aging, if it's green apple-ish due to acetylhyde. Of course, that may be a function of the yeast, too, which means it's normal. Higher temperatures may mean more than you planned, though.
The bad news is that in a high temperature fermenation, those esters are generally there to stay. They may fade with time.
Here's the description of your Belgian strain:
Produces intense esters and phenolic characteristics with complex fruitiness. Does not produce significant amount of iso-amyl acetate (banana esters) or bubble gum esters typical of many yeast of this style. Phenol and ester production are influenced by fermentation temperatures. Phenols tend to dissipate as beer matures. This type of yeast benefits from incremental feeding of sugars during fermentation, making suitable conditions for doubles and triples, to ferment to dryness. True top cropping yeast with broad temperature range.
Which hefeweizen yeast did you use? The 3068 (very common) says this:
Classic German wheat beer yeast, used by more German brewers than any other strain. Dominated by banana ester production, phenols and clove-like characteristics. Extremely attenuative yeast, which produces a tart, refreshing finish. Yeast remains in suspension readily with proteinacous wheat malt. Sometimes used in conjunction with lager yeast and kraeusened to finish the beer and improve the overall dryness. High CO2 levels, typically at 2.7 - 3.2 volumes is desirable for best presentation. This strain is a true top cropping yeast requiring full fermenter headspace of 33%. Increasing pitch rates will reduce ester production. Alcohol tolerance: approximately 10% ABV
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So, even though a hefeweizen and a Belgian are different (markedly so), the overwhelming fruitiness might be what makes you think they are so similar. With a little time, maybe some of the other flavors will come to the forefront and give you a better balance of flavor.
(Incidently, those are my least favorite beer styles, so they all taste about the same to me, ironically enough. I mean, I KNOW they aren't the same, but I can't stand hefeweizens, and I'm not too crazy about some Belgians).